What To Include In A Resume - 16 Best Things

Did you know that on average an employer spends only 6 seconds reviewing a resume before they move onto the next? You can’t waste time having useless information on your resume. This article will give you resume writing ideas so that you will know exactly what to include in a resume and what not to include when applying for your next job.

Contact info section

Always include detailed contact info on your resume. Without contact info, no matter how great your resume is, the employer will have no way to get ahold of you.

1. Your Name: First & last name. If you would like to include your middle name or initial go right ahead.

2. Home Address: City & state only. DO NOT provide your exact address. This can be a privacy/security issue since just about anyone can access your resume on job boards.

3. Email Address: Make sure to use a professional email.

4. Phone Number(s): Include your phone number as well as the type of phone.

5. Personal Website Or LinkedIn: Add your personal website or LinkedIn URLs to your resume. You can even hyperlink your name to include this info.

Professional summary section

This is your opportunity to grab the employer’s attention by summarizing your job desires and the relevant skills that you bring to the table.

6. The Summary: Tailor your professional summary to the specific job you’re applying to. An employer is definitely going to know when you are using a general summary to apply to multiple jobs.

Below are a few examples of what to include in a resume summary:

“Aspiring Test Engineer capable of performing inspections and testing of incoming components, in a processed product and finished products within the manufacturing arena to ensure compliance with established specifications and departmentally defined time frames.”

“Inside Sales Representative with a strong work ethic, exceptional sales skills and a successful track record of growing sales revenue.”

7. Keywords From Job Postings: Remember to include specific keywords from the job posting in your resume. You will not only want to do this in your summary, but also in your work experience section. The better you get to know the job posting(s) you are applying to, the easier it will be to know what to include in a resume. For more on keywords, check out How To Use Resume Keywords When Applying For Jobs.

Key Skills Section

The skills section is your opportunity to brag a bit. Tell us what you are good at. Focus not only on your top skills but the ones most relevant to the job.

Work Experience Section

This might be the most important part of your entire resume. Knowing what work experience to include in a resume is absolutely crucial to your success. Employers want to know when, where, and how you worked at your current or previous jobs.

9. Relevant Work History: Make sure you are not wasting the employer’s time reading irrelevant information for your work history. List only the relevant duties, achievements and accomplishments that relate to the job you are applying to.

10. Internships, Projects, Volunteer: If you don’t have any relevant work history, the next best thing would be to add internships, projects, or volunteer experience that may relate to the position.

11. Metrics: Whenever possible, make sure to use metrics when describing your work experience. Instead of simply listing out the things that you did at your job, talk about your achievements, successes, and accomplishments.

Good Example

Increased revenue by 40% and the number of guests by 35% through promotional marketing channels and increased customer experience.

Bad Example

Responsibilities included increasing company revenue through promotional marketing channels and increased customer experience.

Education Section

When figuring out what to include in a resume, the education section can be somewhat tricky. Your education can be very important if you are a recent graduate or early in your career. However, the more work experience you gain, the less important your education becomes.

12. Education: If you went to school, add your education. If your degree goes beyond high school, please do not include the HS you went to on your resume. No matter what level in your career you are, place your education at the very bottom of your resume. Having your education at the top of your resume makes you look junior which is never beneficial (even if you are applying to a junior role).

13. GPA: Unless you have graduated with a very high level of honors such as Magna Cum Laude, do not list your GPA on your resume. There can be exceptions depending on your major but for the most part, this is not necessary.

Additional Information

Finally, this is your opportunity to set yourself apart from other resumes. Include some interesting information that shows involvement, success, and makes you unique from your peers.

14. Additional Information: This could include but is not limited to publications, affiliations, honors, awards, websites, clubs, organizations, and certifications.

15. Professional References: Do not include references on your resume. Do not even write "references available upon request." If you are personally asked for references, provide them. Believe it or not, recruiters will take the contact info from your references (usually hiring managers) and use it to solicit new business for their agency.

16. Resume Writing Services: Knowing what to include in a resume can be difficult. Why do it yourself?

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